DOCSLIB.ORG

Purpose and Need

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Purpose and Need NORTHERN INDIANA PASSENGER RAIL CORRIDOR PURPOSE AND NEED Chicago-Fort Wayne-Lima Corridor Prepared for the City of Fort Wayne, IN November 2017 Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Corridor Purpose and Need CONTENTS 1 Introduction and Background .............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Project Description ....................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Current Project Phase/NEPA ....................................................................................... 2 1.3 Passenger Rail Service Background ............................................................................ 2 1.4 Prior Planning Studies ................................................................................................. 2 1.4.1 Midwest Regional Rail Initiative ............................................................................. 2 1.4.2 Ohio Hub System ................................................................................................... 3 1.4.3 NIPRA Feasibility Study ......................................................................................... 3 2 Purpose and Need .............................................................................................................. 4 2.1 Project Purpose ........................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Project Need ................................................................................................................ 4 2.2.1 Existing transportation alternatives do not meet Corridor travel needs for business and personal trips .................................................................................................. 5 2.2.2 Highway system congestion and reliability concerns .............................................. 7 2.2.3 Population and employment growth will increase travel demand and place greater pressure on existing transportation modes ............................................................10 2.2.4 More transportation choices are needed to support the region’s economic competitiveness and facilitate its economic development goals ............................10 3 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................13 T ABLES Table 1: Base and Projected Socioeconomic Data for the Corridor Travel Market Area ............10 FIGURES Figure 1: Chicago-Fort Wayne-Lima Corridor Location .............................................................. 1 Figure 2: Proposed Midwest Regional Rail System .................................................................... 3 Figure 3: Northwest Indiana Roadway Congestion, 2008 and 2040 ........................................... 9 Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Corridor Purpose and Need 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND This report introduces the Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Corridor Project (Project) and provides a description of the proposed Project, prior studies, and the purpose and need for the Project. 1.1 Project Description The City of Fort Wayne and the Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Association (NIPRA), in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), propose to establish a passenger rail service from Chicago through the cities of Gary, Valparaiso, Plymouth, Warsaw, and Fort Wayne, IN and on to Lima, OH (the Chicago-Fort Wayne-Lima corridor, or Corridor). The new Corridor service would improve access and mobility for the communities along the Corridor and lay the foundation for potential future passenger rail connections in Ohio, including connections to Columbus, other metropolitan Ohio communities and beyond. The proposed Chicago-Fort Wayne-Lima Corridor, as shown in Figure 1, is approximately 200 miles long. It connects the major metropolitan region of Chicago with Fort Wayne and Lima and the smaller cities and towns in between including Gary, Valparaiso, Plymouth and Warsaw in Indiana. The Corridor traverses east to west through two counties in Ohio (Allen and Van Wert), eight counties in Indiana (Allen, Whitley, Kosciusko, Marshall, Starke, La Porte, Porter and Lake) and Cook County Illinois where it would terminate at Chicago Union Station. Figure 1: Chicago-Fort Wayne-Lima Corridor Location 1 | Page Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Corridor Purpose and Need 1.2 Current Project Phase/NEPA This current study phase is undertaking early planning activities that includes identifying the Project purpose and need, conducting an analysis of route, service and preliminary investment alternatives to develop an incremental approach to service implementation and completing conceptual engineering to understand Project infrastructure requirements and preliminary cost estimates. Decisions from these early planning activities will position the Project to complete an environmental review required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for a potential future federally funded action. The Project would use the selected “South of the Lake” route (Chicago Union Station to Tolleston in Gary, Indiana) that is being evaluated by the Michigan Department of Transportation and the FRA in the Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Passenger Rail Corridor Program Tier 1 Draft EIS published in September 2014. The Final EIS is anticipated in fall 2017. The Project sponsors anticipate requesting federal funds, requiring compliance with NEPA. The NEPA process is intended to help public officials make decisions that are based on an understanding of potential environmental consequences. 1.3 Passenger Rail Service Background No passenger rail service currently operates along the Chicago-Fort Wayne-Lima Corridor. Amtrak previously operated a long-distance passenger service between Chicago, Fort Wayne and Lima along the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern (CFER) Fort Wayne line as a part of the Broadway Limited and Capitol Limited services that connected Chicago to New York and Washington DC. Amtrak rerouted the services in 1990 when the Fort Wayne line deteriorated under the ownership of Conrail, which decided to focus its investments in routes that paralleled the Fort Wayne Line. Amtrak discontinued the Broadway Limited in 1995, while the Capitol Limited still operates through South Bend, IN and Toledo, OH on its way to Washington DC. 1.4 Prior Planning Studies Prior passenger rail planning studies provide the basis for the Chicago-Fort Wayne-Lima corridor. 1.4.1 Midwest Regional Rail Initiative In 1996, nine Midwest states, including Indiana and Ohio, and Amtrak initiated the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MWRRI). The MWRRI elements include: • Operation of a hub and spoke passenger rail system centered on Chicago • Use of 3,000 miles of existing rail right of way to connect rural and urban areas • Track and signal improvements and introduction of modern trains operating at speeds to 110 mph • Provision of multi-modal connections to improve system access • Improvement in frequency, reliability, speed, and on-time performance Under the passenger rail system proposed by MWRRI, shown in Figure 2, Chicago serves as the hub around which the Midwest service is based. The Chicago-Fort Wayne corridor was proposed in MWRRI with service to Toledo and Cleveland. FRA has initiated a new planning effort, the Midwest Regional Rail Planning Study, to provide a 40-year framework as an update to the 2006 Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, a 12-state Midwest passenger rail network. The new study will look at the entire network area including service levels, financing, passenger rail interconnections and governance. NIPRA and the City 2 | Page Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Corridor Purpose and Need of Fort Wayne are participating in the planning process through the Stakeholder Planning Group. A new Midwest Rail Plan is anticipated in Summer 2018. Figure 2: Proposed Midwest Regional Rail System 1.4.2 Ohio Hub System An Ohio Hub system was originally conceived in 2004 as an eastern complement to the system proposed by MWRRI. It consisted of a Cleveland Hub network with four interconnecting 110- mph diesel-powered passenger rail lines. However, in 2007 the Ohio concept was expanded by the addition of three Columbus-centered routes to Pittsburgh, Toledo/Detroit and Fort Wayne/Chicago. As a result, the name of the system was changed from “Cleveland Hub” to “Ohio Hub” reflecting the expanded statewide and multiple-hub focus of the proposed corridor system. The Ohio Hub study funded the initial feasibility-level assessment of the rail route connecting Columbus to Fort Wayne, but the scope of that assessment did not extend west of Fort Wayne. The Ohio Hub system connected the Chicago-Columbus corridor to Pittsburgh, which together with service onward to Harrisburg and Philadelphia, could provide the first interregional link between the Northeast Corridor, Ohio Hub, and Midwest Regional Rail Systems. The State of Ohio discontinued the Ohio Hub study in 2010. 1.4.3 NIPRA Feasibility Study Since the completion of MWRRI studies in 2004, NIPRA built on the MWRRI’s plan to return passenger rail service to Fort Wayne by testing the feasibility of providing service to Columbus instead of Toledo and Cleveland. In 2013, NIPRA commissioned a study to assess the 3 | Page Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Corridor Purpose and Need feasibility of a Chicago-Fort Wayne-Lima-Columbus Corridor with 110 or 130 mph service. The study revealed
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Project Purpose and Need Statement June 2019
    Norfolk Southern Railway Company Pittsburgh Vertical Clearance Projects Project Purpose and Need Statement June 2019 INTRODUCTION: These proposed projects are railway improvement projects on the Pittsburgh and Fort Wayne Rail Lines (together referred to as the Pittsburgh Line), owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR). The proposed projects consist of addressing freight capacity and delay constraints through the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Line serves rail freight traffic in interstate commerce and operates as a primary link through Pittsburgh between Chicago and the New York/New Jersey commercial markets. NSR is a common carrier and the Pittsburgh Line forms a critical component of NSR’s route between Chicago and the east coast, carrying a variety of commodities, both hazardous material such as chlorine, anhydrous ammonia, hydrogen fluoride, crude oil, and ethanol, as well as nonhazardous materials like coal, auto parts and finished vehicles, lumber, agricultural products, and intermodal containers and trailers. The six overhead clearance projects [North Avenue Bridge, Pittsburgh (PC-1.60); Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge, Pittsburgh (PC-1.82); Columbus Avenue Bridge, Pittsburgh (PC-2.17); Ohio Connecting (OC) Bridge Flyover, Pittsburgh (PC-3.38); Washington Avenue Bridge, Swissvale (PT-344.91); and Amtrak Station Canopy (PT-353.20)] have vertical obstructions along the Pittsburgh Line and prevent efficient movement of freight, especially time-sensitive intermodal freight, by rail between Chicago and New York/New Jersey, and specifically through Pennsylvania. Unused capacity exists on the Pittsburgh Line and these clearance projects will allow the line to accommodate anticipated freight growth while allowing for double-stack intermodal freight to use the Pittsburgh Line in lieu of the Mon Line.
    [Show full text]
  • Merchant Street Bridge Project City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS July 27, 2020
    Merchant Street Bridge Project City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS July 27, 2020 1. What is the purpose and need for this project? The purpose of the Merchant Street Bridge Project is to maintain safe freight and passenger rail operations along the Fort Wayne Line to continue the efficient transportation of goods and people between Chicago and the New York/New Jersey commercial markets, as well as within local markets. The bridge structure has reached the end of its useful life and engineering inspections have identified a need to address these problems in order to maintain safe interstate rail transportation along the Fort Wayne Line. The bridge carrying the Fort Wayne Line over Merchant Street has safety deficiencies that have the potential to create risks to current rail traffic and forecasted rail traffic increases throughout the United States and within Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh region in particular. The project need for the Merchant Street Bridge project is to address safety, reliability, and facility deficiencies. Additionally, the City of Pittsburgh has requested the roadway profile at Merchant Street be lowered to allow emergency vehicles to pass under the bridge. 2. How will the Merchant Street Bridge Project affect air quality, noise, and vibration in the area? The Merchant Street Bridge Project would not result in any significant effect on air quality, noise, or vibration. The on-alignment replacement of the Merchant Street Bridge would not significantly affect air emissions. Minor temporary emissions will result for a short duration relating to construction equipment for the bridge replacement work. According to the Federal Transit Administration’s Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual, adopted by Federal Railroad Administration, the reconstruction of facilities that occupy substantially the same geographic footprint and do not result in a change in functional use, such as improvements to existing bridges, would not require noise impact analysis because the project would not change the noise source.
    [Show full text]
  • Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Clinical
    Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Office of Healthcare Inspections Report No. 16-00577-335 Clinical Assessment Program Review of the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System Fort Wayne, Indiana August 15, 2017 Washington, DC 20420 In addition to general privacy laws that govern release of medical information, disclosure of certain veteran health or other private information may be prohibited by various Federal statutes including, but not limited to, 38 U.S.C. §§ 5701, 5705, and 7332, absent an exemption or other specified circumstances. As mandated by law, OIG adheres to privacy and confidentiality laws and regulations protecting veteran health or other private information in this report. To Report Suspected Wrongdoing in VA Programs and Operations Telephone: 1-800-488-8244 (Hotline Information: www.va.gov/oig/hotline) CAP Review of the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, Fort Wayne, IN Glossary CAP Clinical Assessment Program CNH community nursing home EHR electronic health record EOC environment of care facility VA Northern Indiana Health Care System FY fiscal year MH mental health NA not applicable NM not met OIG Office of Inspector General PC primary care POCT point-of-care testing QSV quality, safety, and value RME reusable medical equipment SPS Sterile Processing Service VHA Veterans Health Administration VISN Veterans Integrated Service Network VA OIG Office of Healthcare Inspections CAP Review of the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, Fort Wayne, IN Table of Contents Page Executive Summary ..................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Executive Summary
    4 Executive Summary Sponsored by the City of Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission additional transportation and utilities infrastructure improvements will provide access to additional lands for office park development and Planning Department, this Corridor Plan was developed to are warranted. as well as a proposed multi-family housing development, before address landscape conservation and development-related issues connecting with the Eastport Centre Technology Park and beyond along a portion of State Route 49, extending from U.S. Highway The SR 49 thoroughfare will always remain a critical regional to the expanding Porter County Regional Airport. 30 northward to U.S. Highway 6, a distance of approximately six link between the Porter County Regional Airport and its adjacent miles. The width of the corridor study area generally extended industrial activity, and the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor on the An ambitious plan, the development of Memorial Drive Extended from Silhavy Road / Calumet Road eastward to County Road 325, shore of Lake Michigan. In 2011, the SR 49 thoroughfare’s ensures a coherent pattern of contiguous development that encompassing an area of approximately ten square miles. level of service (LOS) rating was C. In anticipation of increased prevents sprawl and preserves open space and rural landscape vehicular traffic the SR 49 thoroughfare must improve its LOS. character. The proposed thoroughfare promotes connectivity and The principal objective of the SR 49 Corridor Plan is to provide The presence of a signaled intersection at CO Rd 500 and the access management to existing transportation corridors while planning guidance and physical design direction for urban complete lack of signalization at the interchange of SR 49 and providing synergies with adjacent complementary land uses.
    [Show full text]
  • Elkhart Resource Directory
    1 Elkhart Resource Directory Elkhart, IN Elkhart County PMEP Study BRAVE Lab 2 Table of Contents Addiction Recovery 3 Child Care 4 Employment 5 Food and Clothing 6 Housing/Shelters 8 Legal Services 9 Medical/Dental Care 10 Mental Health Counseling 13 Prenatal Services 14 Emergency/Important Phone Numbers 15 3 Addiction Recovery Alcoholics Anonymous - Serenity Hall The Elkhart Area Central Service Office is “an AA service office that involves partnership among Groups in our community—just as AA groups themselves are partnerships of the individuals. It exists to aid the groups in their common purpose of carrying the AA message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” Address: 949 ½ Middlebury St, Elkhart IN 46516 Phone: (574) 295-8188 Center for Problem Resolution The Center’s goal is to effectively treat alcohol and drug-addicted clients in an outpatient setting. They also offer domestic violence prevention programming specifically focusing on a Batterers Intervention Program. Behavioral Healthcare of Northern Indiana th Address: 211 South 5 St, Elkhart IN Phone: (574) 294-7447 CleanSlate Outpatient Addiction Medicine CleanSlate is a multi-state medical group that provides effective treatment for the chronic disease of addiction, primarily alcohol and opioid use disorders. We partner with local care providers to ensure patients have access to all the resources they need, including supportive counseling and clear accountability. Address: 1004 Parkway Ave, Elkhart IN Phone: (574) 218-7131 Elkhart Addiction Recovery Center ARC provides outpatient services that are related to the misuse of one or more substances. Enrollment in one of our programs requires a current clinical evaluation from a recognized addictions provider.
    [Show full text]
  • Issue #84 — August 1989
    • AUGUST 1989 OHIO ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS ISSUE #34 CONFRONTING THE END OF A LINE by OARP President Tom Pulsifer Fort Wayne 20,000, Lima 16,000, Canton 13,000, Crestline 8,000. These four stations handled some 57,000 Amtrak passengers last year. Now, through no fault of the train users, their trains may be taken away--probably for good! Amtrak and Conrail are presently locked in off-and-on ne­ gotiations upon which rests the future of the Fort Wayne Line, the direct former mainline of the Pennsylvania Rail­ road between Pittsburgh and Chicago and today's route of Amtrak's BROADWAY and CAPITOL LIMITED passenger trains. At the core of the matter is a segment of 19.2 miles of line between Gary and Valparaiso. Conrail claims Amtrak should bear the full cost of all maintenance expense on this portion of line because Conrail says they no longer run freights over this segment. Conrail has been sending Amtrak a monthly bill of $30,000 for track maintenance and has done this since March of 1988. Thus far, Amtrak has refused to pay these bills and claims Conrail HAS used the track for freight trains, and therefore why should Amtrak pay for all the maintenance costs. Although Conrail con­ tinues to bill Amtrak, the bill collectors have not yet been sent. Amtrak firmly maintains it will reroute its passenger trains onto other lines before it will pay Con­ rail one dime of disputed line maintenance costs. Amtrak and Conrail may get what they want -- but the Fort Wayne Line passengers may get left at the end of the line.
    [Show full text]
  • Northwest Indiana Commuter Transportation District
    Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District VENDOR OPEN HOUSE APRIL 17, 2019 VENDOR OPEN HOUSE AGENDA Welcome and Introductions Safety Briefing NICTD Website and Plan Room Upcoming Projects Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Participation Additional Supplier Opportunities Closing Remarks NICTD WEBSITE NICTD WEBSITE NICTD PLAN ROOM NICTD PLAN ROOM WEST LAKE CORRIDOR PROJECT • Addition of approximately eight miles of new track along the old Monon Line from Dyer to connect to existing South Shore Line at Hammond. • Realignment of SSL in Hammond • Shoofly at Munster Dyer Station entrance underpass • Four new stations, including a new relocated Hammond Station • New maintenance shop • Layover yard with crew facilities in Hammond WEST LAKE CORRIDOR PROJECT Structural Elements 82 Spans • 3 river spans • 1 CSX bridge • 3 major spans (200’ +/- Thru Truss Girders) • 5 spans crossing railroads 5 Pedestrian tunnels • 1 underground • 4 at-grade under elevated track Retaining walls • Precast used in elevated structure approaches • Cast in Place construction used at Main Street WEST LAKE CORRIDOR PROJECT Contracting Opportunities •Project will be procured using Design Build delivery method •Selection will use Best Value methodology •Construction Management •Design Build contract will include: • Track including sidings and embankment • Systems including catenary, traction power sub stations (2), wayside signals, crossing signals, PTC, communications, dispatch center modifications as necessary • Structures including precast and cast-in-place
    [Show full text]
  • Northern Indiana Public Service Company
    REV. 0 NORTHERN INDIANA PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY COMMUNITY RELATIONS PLAN Former Manufactured Gas Plant Hohman Avenue at Wilcox Street Hammond, Indiana February 2006 REV. 0 Northern Indiana Public Service Company COMMUNITY RELATIONS PLAN Former Manufactured Gas Plant Site Hohman Avenue at Wilcox Street Hammond, Indiana February 2006 1. Overview of the Community Relations Plan The community relations plan outlines the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) strategy for informing the public about an environmental remediation project at a former manufactured gas plant site west of Hohman Avenue on the south bank of the Grand Calumet River. The goal of the project is to restore the site to a condition that is protective of health and the environment and available for productive use, in accordance with the provisions of the Indiana Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP). The project has been assigned VRP project #6980801, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) project manager is Richard Harris (317-234-0966, e-mail: [email protected].) The community relations program for this site will involve complete and timely communication with government officials, neighboring residents and other interested individuals and organizations. The program is designed to assure individuals there is no immediate threat to their health, explain the results of past studies, solicit and provide responses to concerns and opinions about the site and NIPSCO’s remediation plans. The community relations plan is based on interviews with City of Hammond and state and federal officials, representatives of civic and environmental organizations and NIPSCO staff. Information about the site’s history was obtained from the VRP Remediation Work Plan, 1999.
    [Show full text]
  • Hoosiers and the American Story Chapter 5
    Reuben Wells Locomotive The Reuben Wells Locomotive is a fifty-six ton engine named after the Jeffersonville, Indiana, mechanic who designed it in 1868. This was no ordinary locomotive. It was designed to carry train cars up the steepest rail incline in the country at that time—in Madison, Indi- ana. Before the invention of the Reuben Wells, trains had to rely on horses or a cog system to pull them uphill. The cog system fitted a wheel to the center of the train for traction on steep inclines. You can now see the Reuben Wells at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. You can also take rides on historic trains that depart from French Lick and Connersville, Indiana. 114 | Hoosiers and the American Story 2033-12 Hoosiers American Story.indd 114 8/29/14 10:59 AM 5 The Age of Industry Comes to Indiana [The] new kind of young men in business downtown . had one supreme theory: that the perfect beauty and happiness of cities and of human life was to be brought about by more factories. — Booth Tarkington, The Magnificent Ambersons (1918) Life changed rapidly for Hoosiers in the decades New kinds of manufacturing also powered growth. after the Civil War. Old ways withered in the new age Before the Civil War most families made their own of industry. As factories sprang up, hopes rose that food, clothing, soap, and shoes. Blacksmith shops and economic growth would make a better life than that small factories produced a few special items, such as known by the pioneer generations.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ohio & Lake Erie Regional Rail Ohio Hub Study
    The Ohio & Lake Erie Regional Rail Ohio Hub Study TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM & BUSINESS PLAN July 2007 Prepared for The Ohio Rail Development Commission Indiana Department of Transportation Michigan Department of Transportation New York Department of Transportation Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Prepared by: Transportation Economics & Management Systems, Inc. In association with HNTB, Inc. The Ohio & Lake Erie Regional Rail - Ohio Hub Study Technical Memorandum & Business Plan Table of Contents Foreword...................................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgements..........................................................................................................................x Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................1 1. Introduction....................................................................................................................1-1 1.1 System Planning and Feasibility Goals and Objectives................................................... 1-3 1.2 Business Planning Objectives.......................................................................................... 1-4 1.3 Study Approach and Methodology .................................................................................. 1-4 1.4 Railroad Infrastructure Analysis...................................................................................... 1-5 1.5 Passenger
    [Show full text]
  • Merchant Street Bridge Project Purpose and Need Statement
    Norfolk Southern Railway Company Merchant Street, Pittsburgh, PA Project Purpose and Need Statement June 2019 INTRODUCTION: The Merchant Street Bridge, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania along the Fort Wayne Line, which is owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR), provides a grade separation from automobile traffic traveling below the rail line along Merchant Street. Merchant Street connects Ridge Avenue with Martindale Street under the Fort Wayne Line. The Fort Wayne Line serves rail freight traffic in interstate commerce and operates as a primary link through Pittsburgh between Chicago and the New York/New Jersey commercial markets. NSR is a common carrier and the Fort Wayne Line forms a critical component of NSR’s route between Chicago and the east coast, carrying a variety of commodities, both hazardous material such as chlorine, anhydrous ammonia, hydrogen fluoride, crude oil, and ethanol, as well as nonhazardous materials like coal, auto parts and finished vehicles, lumber, agricultural products, and intermodal containers and trailers. The line Fort Wayne Line also carries passenger traffic. The Merchant Street Bridge was constructed circa 1905 and consists of two skewed steel spans supported by stone masonry abutments and one intermediate steel bent. The ballast-deck superstructure is comprised of a concrete-filled riveted steel trough system that varies in length and width and carries four active railroad tracks, with capacity to carry up to 70 trains per day. There is extensive steel corrosion within the cross girders and columns comprising the intermediate bent as well as throughout the riveted trough system. These conditions will be considered safety concerns within a few years and may pose a safety hazard to the railroad and the traveling public and a potential liability to other transportation entities (e.g., City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County) if not addressed.
    [Show full text]
  • Northern Indiana Health Care System (Vanihcs)
    The American Legion SYSTEM WORTH SAVING NORTHERN INDIANA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM (VANIHCS) | FORT WAYNE, IN Date: April 23-25, 2018 Chairman of the Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission:Ralph Bozella (ex-officio) Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission:Jim Daube Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission, National Staff:Edwin D. Thomas Chairman’s Statement data through The American Legion’s Mail-Out Questionnaire (MOQ). The SWS team also used the internally developed In- In 2003, Ron Conley, The American Legion’s National Com- Facility Questionnaire as its primary tool for the on-site, struc- mander that year, visited and assessed the delivery of health tured interviews. care at over 60 Department of Veterans Affairs’ medical facilities across the country. Commander Conley wanted to assess the The SWS team did not review the hospital’s or any Communi- delivery of health care delivered to the nation’s veterans to de- ty-Based Outpatient Clinic’s medical records, physically assess termine if the VA health care system was truly a “System Worth drug control practices, review physician prescribing profiles, Saving.” The following year, The American Legion passed a or complaints lodged by patients or others to the Department resolution making System Worth Saving a permanent program of Veteran Affairs Office of the Inspector General about waste, under the National Commander. The American Legion’s Na- fraud and abuse. Furthermore, the SWS team did not visit any tional Executive Committee later realigned the program under CBOCs including the CBOC in Peru, Indiana mentioned in the the Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission. Indiana Gazette’s article, “Issues found at Peru VA clinic.
    [Show full text]